Sydney Festival will hit a milestone in January 2026, marking 50 years as one of Australia’s most culturally defining events. From 8 January to 25 January, Sydney will once again become a living stage for theatre, dance, visual art, literature, cabaret and music, with this year’s program celebrating five decades of artistic change while imagining the city’s creative future.
UK electro favourites Hot Chip will return to the Sydney Opera House for two nights of dancefloor euphoria. The London group made their name in the early 2000s mixing indie-pop sentiment with club culture, graduating from cult festival act to global favourites with albums like The Warning (2006) and In Our Heads (2012). For Sydney Festival’s golden year, they will deliver Joy In Repetition, a career-spanning performance honouring their 25 years as a band.
New Festival Director Kris Nelson makes his debut with a program grounded in intergenerational storytelling, connections between community and creativity, and the passing of cultural knowledge. Nelson’s appointment continues a lineage of forward-looking festival directors who helped shape Australia’s summer arts landscape, a tradition dating back to founder Stephen Hall’s inaugural 1977 program that brought international theatre and music to a newly ambitious Sydney.
“Sydney Festival has always reflected the city’s identity and imagination,” Nelson said in launching his debut program. “For our 50th, we look back at the stories that shaped us while inviting new voices to lead us forward.”
The festival’s First Nations-led Blak Out program returns under Creative Artist in Residence Jacob Nash, marking his final program in the role. Since Blak Out launched in 2022, it has reframed Sydney Festival as a space where First Nations voices lead the cultural conversation.
A major commission, Held by Yuwaalaraay Wirringgaa artist Lucy Simpson, will anchor the program at Barangaroo’s Stargazer Lawn, culminating in the annual Vigil: Belong gathering on 25 January led by musician and writer Nardi Simpson, with Uncle Matthew Doyle tending ceremonial fires.
Other Blak Out highlights include:
Garabari at Sydney Opera House, a community-wide contemporary corroboree created with Wiradjuri Elders and choreographer Joel Bray
Emma Donovan’s Take Me To The River, celebrating classic soul and gospel influences
Bogan Villea at STC’s Wharf 1 Theatre, blending rock, drag and Blak pride
Kankawa Nagarra, the 80-year-old “Queen of the Bandaral Ngadu Delta”, performing at ACO On The Pier
Ursula Yovich honouring Nina Simone in a world-premiere tribute
Large-scale theatre has been central to Sydney Festival’s identity since early productions by Sydney Theatre Company and international touring companies put the event on the world map. In 2026, that legacy continues with the Australian premiere of Lacrima, a sweeping multilingual drama from French director Caroline Guiela Nguyen exploring the global creation of a royal wedding gown.
Elsewhere, actor and activist Khalid Abdalla (The Crown, The Kite Runner) brings Nowhere, a personal and political exploration of modern history.
New Australian storytelling shines in Mama Does Derby at Sydney Town Hall, transforming the landmark into a full roller-derby arena for a mother-daughter story of resilience by Virginia Gay and Clare Watson.
In dance, South Korean visionary Eun-Me Ahn brings the kinetic Post-Orientalist Express, and Dan Daw returns with the Australian exclusive EXXY.
Free Outdoor Events And Symphony Under The Stars
Sydney’s outdoor offerings, from The Domain concerts of the 1980s to Barangaroo’s recent transformation, remain essential to the festival. In 2026, Live At Hickson Road: Effectos Especiales will turn Walsh Bay into a street-film hybrid, merging action cinema and live performance.
The beloved Sydney Symphony Under The Stars moves to Tumbalong Park for a one-night celebration on 17 January, honouring both the festival’s and orchestra’s 50-year history. Meanwhile, Disco Never Dies at the Hordern Pavilion promises sequins and symphonic disco classics from ABBA to Earth, Wind & Fire.
Festival Dates
Sydney Festival 2026
8 January – 25 January, Sydney
Hot Chip, Joy In Repetition – 25 Years Of Hot Chip
Sydney Opera House, Sydney
Two performances, January 2026 (exact dates TBA)
Sydney Symphony Under The Stars
Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour, Sydney
Saturday 17 January 2026
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